Were Command Unleashed: Part 1 Christmas Chaos
by Ligernaut
Summary: O'Connell fanfic. A lot of dialogue in the first and last parts. O'Connell is doomed to spend Christmas alone, but finds a strange wolf on the way home. Sorry, no Were Command in this part, that comes in the next part. Please R&R, am considering rewriting
1. Plans

It was Christmas Eve, and the Planet Zi was coated in soft, white snow. Colonel Rob Hermann of the Republican Army lay back in the pilot seat of his Shield Liger.

"So what are your plans for Christmas?" Hermann asked his friend, Colonel Karl Shubaltz.  
"Thomas and I are going home to celebrate Christmas with our family," Karl replied from his Iron Kong.  
"It's going to be great!" Captain Thomas Shubaltz said from his Dibison.  
"What about you?" Karl asked.

"I have to go to some fancy dinner party tomorrow night. What a bummer! And for Christmas Day, my mother has to go to a few places, and she's going to drag me along!" Hermann whinged.

"Ah well, it can't be helped. What about you, Major O'Connell?" Karl asked. He had noticed Hermann's faithful subordinate was reasonably subdued.

"I don't know..." O'Connell replied, continued to stare blankly.   
"Aren't you going back to your family?" Thomas asked.

"Yeah, I guess..." O'Connell said dully. Karl and Thomas gave Hermann confused looks over the comlink, and Hermann just shrugged. He then adjusted the comlinks so it was just him and O'Connell.

"Is something the matter?" Hermann asked.

"What? No," O'Connell said, shaking his head. He looked fairly sad, and a bit confused as well.

"Are you sure?" Hermann asked sceptically.

"Um, yeah..." O'Connell shook his head again, this time harder.

"What's wrong? Come on, you can tell me," Hermann encouraged.

"Nothing really... um... I'm just going back to my family's farm again," O'Connell replied.

"And?" Hermann asked.

"It's just... they won't be there," O'Connell blurted out.

"What? Why?" Hermann asked.

"There's this important meeting that Mum and Dad have to go to, and my siblings are going as well. I can't go because they had to leave yesterday, and it's too far to travel by myself. Besides, I have to look after the farm," O'Connell said, dispirited.

"Oh O'Connell... why didn't you tell me sooner? Hey, I have an idea... why don't you come to this party and spend Christmas with me? I'd be honoured if you joined us," Hermann offered.

"No, it's okay. I have to watch the farm," O'Connell said sadly.

"Well..." Hermann said, trying to think of something. The Zoids pulled up at the Ultrasaurus, and O'Connell landed his Pteras. Before Hermann could get to him, he was dragged off to get ready for the dinner party. He called out to his subordinate, but O'Connell just looked away.


	2. First Warning

O'Connell said goodbye to his Pteras and gathered his belongings, which he had packed earlier. He looked at his old Command Wolf. He hadn't piloted it for so long. The Wolf rumbled, picking up on his friend's sadness.

"Bye," O'Connell whispered. He suddenly felt a pang of despair. He felt as though this would be the last time he would see his beloved Command Wolf. He didn't notice President Camford was watching him from a short distance.

"Wolfie?" He asked, confused. The white Command Wolf rumbled again, and reached out its nose to nuzzle the major before returning to his normal position, only his head was lowered.

O'Connell said goodbye again and started to walk away. He stopped once and looked around. His Zoid was trying to tell him something, but he wasn't sure what it was. A warning? His heart skipped a beat. Maybe something bad wasn't going to happen to his Zoid, maybe something bad was going to happen to _him_. He swallowed hard, and stared straight into his Command Wolf's eyes. He suddenly wished he had gone with Hermann. O'Connell shook his head and turned around, walking off with a quickened pace.

The teal-haired major looked around at the other Republican soldiers on the bus. They were all chatting about Christmas and their families. O'Connell felt upset, but tried not to show it. He began to feel a bit sick, and again that strange feeling of something bad going to happen to him came back. He concentrated on calming his stomach and tried to ignore the foreboding feeling. It was just what his Zoid had thought, wasn't it? One or two of the younger soldiers noticed he was sitting by himself and keeping quiet, but most of them decided he must be feeling a little bus sick.

One of them, though, kept his eye on the major. He knew who O'Connell was, and knew that he piloted a Pteras. He had also seen him driving, and knew that something else must be upsetting the major. O'Connell looked out of the window. He thought he saw a glimpse of something black, but then it disappeared. He shook his head. It must have been his imagination. The sick feeling left as quickly as it had come, but he couldn't entirely shake off the foreboding feeling.

The bus stopped at a few places, until only three soldiers were left on the bus, O'Connell and two lieutenants, including the one that had been studying him beforehand. As their bus stop came closer, the trio prepared to leave. They filed off the bus and jumped down into the snow. Two sets of families were waiting for the other pair, but no one was there to meet O'Connell. The bus driver noticed this.

"Merry Christmas Major," he said cheerfully.

"What? Oh, Merry Christmas to you too," O'Connell said, smiling. The bus driver winked at him, then closed the doors and drove away. O'Connell turned around and started walking in the direction of his farm. It was a fair walk, but not too long. He ignored the two families that watched him walking alone.


	3. The Lone Wolf

As O'Connell walked along the track, he kicked up the smaller layer of snow. It was very cold, but pretty as well.  
"The best things hurt most," he said. Snow was beautiful, but it was cold enough to cause pain on bare skin. It was an interesting saying that had just popped into his head. But was it entirely true? He loved Hermann, but Hermann had never hurt him. Hermann was the best of commanding officers in O'Connell's opinion, but it was Hermann's fame that put him in the spotlight, something O'Connell didn't like. O'Connell was a bit shy, and didn't like too much attention. And if Hermann got attention, he got it too, for he was always around him. He didn't like it when Hermann was fussed over and he was pushed aside, because he felt Hermann was more interested in the others than his little subordinate. He supposed having the best of commanding officers did hurt more than if he had other ones. He shrugged. Why did he always have to confuse himself?

O'Connell thought about his family. He was going to spend his whole Christmas alone, without his loving family, without his Zoids or friends, with no one. And it would be so cold, and he would have to make sure the Apple Orchard was safe. Tears welled up in his eyes. He felt so cold and alone. He couldn't take it any more. He started crying, and started wiping away the tears. He was trying to stay strong, but he felt cold, alone, upset, scared, and still felt like something horrible was going to happen to him. The tears made his face wet and painfully cold as the fairly gentle wind hit him.

It began to snow again. O'Connell sniffled, and wiped the tears from his eyes. He shook himself and put up his hood. He was glad he had brought the warm jacket with the hood, but he still felt cold. He had warmer clothes in the house, so that was something to look forward to. As O'Connell turned around the corner, he stopped and jerked his head to the left. A pair of glowing eyes were watching him intently. O'Connell swallowed, frightened. The eyes came closer, and a furry grey wolf appeared. There weren't usually many wolves around the area. O'Connell stepped back slowly. He knew wolves could be dangerous. There was no escape from this one, nothing around that could save him if it attacked.

He suddenly thought back to his own wolf, the Command Wolf he affectionately called Wolfie. Was this what Wolfie was trying to warn him about? The wolf didn't growl. It just stood, watching the soldier carefully. There was something about the wolf that felt familiar, but O'Connell hadn't met any wolves before. He had seen one once, but just a glimpse of it. The wolf gave a little bark, as if it was saying hello.

"Hi," O'Connell said softly. The wolf came closer, stepping slowly, in case it had to run away. O'Connell froze, unsure about what to do. It came closer and closer, and carefully put out its nose to sniff O'Connell's leg. O'Connell remained perfectly still, hoping it wouldn't bite him. If it did, he was a goner for sure.

The wolf looked up at him inquisitively. It yelped, then rubbed its head against O'Connell's leg. O'Connell slowly lowered his hand and gently stroked the wolf's blue-grey fur. The wolf licked his hand playfully, then rolled in the snow. It was acting strange for a wolf. It was acting more like a dog, really. O'Connell remembered the old family dog, a border collie named Skidder. Poor Skidder had died shortly after O'Connell joined the military, and was replaced by a grumpy old sod named Bourke. The family had been given Bourke from a neighbour that had moved away.

O'Connell slowly turned and began to walk along the track, hoping the wolf would leave him alone. The wolf leapt up and bounded after him playfully, before moving back into a slow walk, keeping beside O'Connell. It became obvious this wolf had adopted him, and since it had big teeth and claws, O'Connell didn't discourage it. He felt scared that such a vicious type of animal was walking beside him, yet felt safe, as though the wolf was protecting him. He didn't feel alone any more. He and the wolf walked along the track silently. Soon they neared the farmhouse and Apple Orchard, and O'Connell stopped to look. He remembered his first few winters. Everything had seemed so fun. But now, everything look dreary and cold, lonesome, depressing and even a bit scary. The wolf picked up on O'Connell's sadness, and rubbed his head against the major encouragingly. O'Connell petted the wolf, then continued on up the track to the house.


	4. Lucky

He opened the door slowly. Inside, what would normally have been warm and glowing and filled with laughter was cold, dull and empty. He opened the door wider and stepped inside, turning the light on. The wolf followed him, and sat at his feet while he hung his coat on the hook on the wall. O'Connell didn't have the courage or stupidity to try and throw the wolf out, so he closed the door and let the wolf stay inside. He decided to go around turning on the lights he needed and turning on the heater to warm the place up. As he entered the family room, he stopped in his tracks.

Standing in the middle of the room was a ginger tabby cat with soft green eyes. O'Connell looked down at the wolf. No, it would surely kill the family cat!

"Please don't," O'Connell whined to the wolf. The wolf looked up at him, then started advancing on the cat. Gingernut hissed, and the wolf baulked. The wolf came a little closer, and Gingernut backed away. The wolf got close enough to sniff the little cat, and Gingernut decided to sniff the wolf as well. Gingernut then licked the wolf, who licked her back. O'Connell let out a sigh of relief. He then walked over to the fireplace and lit it, before stroking both Gingernut and the wolf.

"You need a name," O'Connell told the young wolf and Gingernut greeted her master. It was obvious the cat had missed him, and this made him feel good. The wolf gave a small 'woof'.

"Okay, how about... Lucky?" O'Connell suggested. Luck woofed in agreement. O'Connell let Lucky and Gingernut rest in front of the fire, and walked over to the diningroom table. As he had expected, there were some notes left for him. He picked up one and read it.

_"Hey Sweetie! I'm so sorry we have to leave you, we feel terrible. I'm sorry we won't get to see you before you go back to the military. We really miss you. We've put up the Christmas tree and have some pressies there for you. Don't worry about us, we know you are too busy with the army to get anything. Just make sure you get to come see us soon. We'll be home for New Year, so I'm sure we'll see you then. There's plenty of food in the cupboard. You don't have to do much with the orchard; everything's fine. Just make sure you feed Bourke and Gingernut. Their food is in the usual place, in the bottom cupboard. Don't forget to clean Gingernut's litter box. You can just empty the old stuff and put some new litter in. Don't let her outside, it's too cold. Bourke is in the barn. He doesn't get on well with Gingernut, I'm afraid. You'll have to bring him in the house soon, though, because you might get snowed in and you have to feed him. Stay warm, light a fire, put on the heater. I've moved some of your stuff to the guestroom, so you can stay on the bottom level. That saves electricity, so you don't have to heat up the second level. I hope you don't mind. I put out some warm clothes for you to change when you get home, they're on the bed. Don't forget to clean your teeth every day, preferably twice, and wear clean underwear. I bought you some new pairs, they're nice and warm. Don't go outside without two jackets, woolly gloves or mittens, warm socks and preferably a scarf. You can borrow some of mine if you want. We all love you and miss you very much. _

_Love, Mum. _

The rest of the notes were from his other family members. He read them and felt better. He then looked at his watch. He realised he was wet from the snow, so he decided to go and change into the clothes his mother had left out for him, and unpack some of his stuff.


	5. Unleashed

As dusk came closer, O'Connell knew he had to feed the cat, dog and wolf. He wasn't sure what to feed Lucky. Lucky was a wild animal, and ate raw meat. O'Connell wondered if he could feed it dog food. It was a type of dog. O'Connell had listened to the weather report, and fairly heavy snow was predicted the next day, Christmas Day, so O'Connell decided to play it safe and bring Bourke into the house. He grabbed Bourke's leash, then saw Skidder's old gear beside Bourke's. He took Skidder's old blue collar in his hand and bit back tears. He then looked across to where Lucky was watching him placidly. If a wolf was going to live in his house, he would have to have at least some control over it.

He approached Lucky carefully, and showed him the collar. He had thick gloves on, so if he were bitten, he wouldn't sustain too much damage. He hoped. Lucky sniffed the collar and licked O'Connell. O'Connell stroked his fur, then carefully slipped the collar around Lucky's neck and clipped it. Lucky didn't seem to mind, so O'Connell gave him a big hug. Lucky licked him happily. O'Connell thought, what am I doing? I'm hugging a wolf!

O'Connell told Lucky to stay, then went out to the barn to get Bourke. Bourke greeted him with a low growl. He didn't know O'Connell very well. O'Connell let himself be sniffed before attaching the leash to Bourke's collar and leading him to the house. Bourke followed cautiously. O'Connell decided to tie Bourke up in the laundry. Before he could do that, Bourke caught the scent of Gingernut, and jerked the short leash from O'Connell's hands. He raced into the living room and leapt at Gingernut, and started savaging her. Lucky growled and leapt at Bourke, chasing the dog. O'Connell ran out the back door, scared and unwell. His three animals were killing each other! In his haste, he left the door open long enough for Bourke to run out. O'Connell didn't feel well, so he didn't chase the dog.

O'Connell recovered and went back inside and see Gingernut. He had to take care of her. He knelt beside the limp cat and inspected her wounds. She had a scratch on her rear flank and a bite in her stomach, but was otherwise unharmed. O'Connell breathed in deeply, remembering back to the war when humans were hurt. The fact that he was partially responsible for letting Bourke yank the leash out of his hand and that he knew and loved the cat made it worse. But he decided that the wounds weren't that bad. He wished he could take her to a vet, but he knew that he couldn't, because it was too late and the vet would be closed for Christmas Day.

O'Connell ran into the kitchen to grab the first aid kit and some bandages. When he came back, Lucky was licking Gingernut's side, helping to stop the bleeding. Gingernut mewed, and O'Connell and Lucky reassured her while O'Connell carefully slipped the bandage under her body and wrapped her up. He then bandaged her leg. He put some antibacterial stuff on the bandages to prevent infection. He was unsure if he had done the right things, but thought he had. He carefully picked her up and put her on a cushion on the rug in front of the fire to keep her warm and comfortable. She seemed happy, so she went to sleep with Lucky guarding her.


	6. Worry

Hermann wasn't particularly happy with his clothes. He thought he looked ridiculous in the black tuxedo he was wearing. His bow tie was black, which wasn't that bad. At least it wasn't red, he thought, looking at some of the other men. He wasn't enjoying the party much. He would rather be in a Zoid, or relaxing, or doing something with O'Connell.

"Is something bothering you?" President Camford asked her son.  
"I'm just not a fancy party person," Hermann replied honestly.

"There's something else bothering you," President Camford said. Not much got past her.

"Well... you see, I'm worried about O'Connell. His family had to go somewhere for Christmas, so now he has to spend Christmas all alone on his farm. I feel so sorry for him," Hermann explained.  
"Why don't you call him? See how he is?" the President suggested.

"Yeah, okay. I'll do that right now," Hermann said.

"I'm glad you are concerned by your subordinate's happiness as well as his wellbeing," President Camford said.

"I have to. He's my best friend," Hermann replied as he went to his room.

O'Connell had eaten a small dinner and was resting in front of the fireplace with Lucky and Gingernut when the phone rang. He was feeling considerably better, but was still concerned by his predicament.

"Hello?" O'Connell asked.  
"Hey O'Connell. It's me, Hermann. I rang to see how you were," Hermann said.

"Uh..." O'Connell said.

"Is everything alright?" Hermann asked.

"Um yeah... no, actually," O'Connell said.

"What's wrong?" Hermann asked, aware that his mother had just entered to see if everything was all right.

"Well, it's like this... I met a wolf on the way home, and now it's in my living room and I don't know what to feed it, and it's with my cat, who was just savaged by the farm dog, who has gotten away, and now I don't know where it is, and I need to find the stupid mutt before I come home, because it's the farm dog. Seriously, it doesn't do much to help. Old Skidder used to, but not Bourke... and now I don't know what to do!" O'Connell blurted out, considerably upset.

"Hey, calm down... you have a wolf in your living room?" Hermann asked, just realising what O'Connell had said. He saw his mother give him a shocked look.  
"Yeah. His name is Lucky. I've got Skidder's old collar on him. I suppose I should just feed him some raw meat? I bandaged up Gingernut. I think she'll be okay. Do you think Bourke will come back when he's hungry? He doesn't really know my because we were given him after I joined the military..." O'Connell replied.

"I'm sure Bourke will come back. Hey listen, do you want me to come over to help?" Hermann asked, glancing at his mother. She nodded.

"No, you don't have to..." O'Connell began.

"Hey, it's no problem. I'm not really having much fun here anyway. I'm not a fancy party person. Come on, let me come over! My mum doesn't mind. Besides, I want to meet Lucky. Not everyone has a pet wolf," Hermann said.

"Yeah, about that... how do I tell mum we have a pet wolf?" O'Connell asked.

"That might be a bit difficult, considering they won't be home until after you're gone... I'm sure I can let you stay a day longer. You can see your family, and Lucky can get used to them," Hermann said.

"Really? Thanks Robbie, you're the best!" O'Connell said, calling Hermann by his first name.

"I'll be right over," Hermann said.


	7. Can I Keep It?

O'Connell woke up and glanced at his watch. It was early morning, and Boxing Day. He looked around. He was in his living room, curled up on a sleeping Hermann. On the rug in front of the fireplace was Lucky and Gingernut, curled up together. He rubbed his face against Hermann's chest. The fire had gone out, but Hermann was providing enough warmth for O'Connell to be comfortable. O'Connell closed his eyes. They had planned to get up in about ten minutes, but O'Connell wanted to rest until then. He then sighed and got up, rubbing his eyes.

He opened the bathroom door, to find Bourke in there.

"Darn," he said. He had forgotten he and Hermann had tied the dog there. He closed the door and went to the other bathroom. When he came out, Hermann was awake and had turned on the lights.

"Hey," Hermann said, heading for the bathroom.  
"Bourke's in there," O'Connell reminded him, heading for the cupboard that contained the breakfast cereal.

"Oh yeah, I had forgotten," Hermann said, changing his direction and heading for the other one.

O'Connell looked down at the present Hermann had given him. It was a shiny silver and gold figurine of a Command Wolf. O'Connell didn't have anything for Hermann, because he didn't have the time or money to get him anything worthwhile. Hermann already had all that he wanted. O'Connell remembered back to Christmas morning, when Hermann had given him the present. Hermann had said, "All I wanted for this Christmas was to be with you."

"Hey. Your parents are coming back today. How are you going to explain Lucky?" Hermann asked.

"That's why you're here!" O'Connell grinned.

"Seriously, though," Hermann said, eating his breakfast.

"I guess I'll just explain it adopted me and I'm too afraid to chuck it out of the house, so now we have a pet wolf," O'Connell replied.

"What if Lucky wants to come with you and not stay here with your family?" Hermann asked, peering over at the peculiar wolf. Lucky had cobalt eyes, brilliant, sparkling blue. He was certainly an unusual wolf.

"I don't know. Could he be the Ultrasaurus's mascot? I'd take care of him, and he could stay with me and sleep in my room and I'd put a muzzle on him so he can't bite anybody. He'd be great protection, too. The night guards could use him if he likes them. Kind of like a guard wolf. Please Hermann, please! If he doesn't want to stay here!" O'Connell begged.

"Well…" Hermann began. He looked at O'Connell's teal-grey eyes. They were begging, pleading, like a little orphaned puppy wanting to be adopted. Hermann couldn't say no. Besides, there was something special about the wolf.

"Only if he won't stay here," Hermann said.

"Oh thank-you colonel!" O'Connell said, jumping on Hermann and giving him a big hug.

As if he understood what was going on, Lucky got up and barked, and ran around the pair excitedly.  
"I swear he knows what we just said," Hermann said, watching the joyful young wolf.

"I think you may be right," O'Connell said, hopping down.

"And I think he may be coming with us…"


End file.
